60 
HORSE CHAUNTING. 
guage of this fraternity is called “a good cheat;” and the prose¬ 
cutor, upon going to the stable where he first saw defendant, a few 
days afterwards, found it shut up, and none of the parties could 
be met with. Information, however, was given to the police, and 
the prisoner was taken into custody upon the present charge. 
Mr. Ballantine having taken some technical objections to the 
indictment, which were over-ruled, made a very ingenious address 
to the jury on behalf of the defendant, who, he urged, had only 
done that which was the every-day custom where a horse was to 
be disposed of—namely, told a great many lies with regard to the 
good qualities of the animal. He said that people who went to 
buy a horse always were prepared for such proceedings, and, after 
listening to all that was said by the seller, they only believed so 
much of it as they pleased. He would not attempt to justify the 
conduct of the defendant, but in horse transactions everyone knew 
that people were not very particular; and, he contended, the matter 
ought to have been made the subject of an inquiry before a civil 
tribunal, instead of being brought forward as a criminal charge. 
The Recorder having summed up, and explained to the jury 
the law in reference to the alleged offence, they deliberated for a 
short time, and then returned a verdict of Guilty. 
The defendant was then called up for judgment, and his Lord- 
ship observed, that frauds of this description were very prevalent, 
and they must be repressed by the law. The conduct of the de¬ 
fendant and the other persons, who evidently acted in concert with 
him, was nothing less than a conspiracy to rob. They inserted an 
advertisement in a newspaper of a character calculated to attract 
attention, and when any one came to their stable in consequence 
to see the animals referred to, they were ready with a plausible 
tale, calculated to throw a person off his guard, and induce him to 
part with his money for an almost worthless article. At present 
he should not go to the full extent of the law, by passing a sen¬ 
tence of transportation; but if the punishment lie was about to 
inflict was not found to have the effect of checking this offence, 
persons concerned in these proceedings might rely that the law 
w r ould be carried out to its full severity until that result was ob¬ 
tained. The defendant was then sentenced to be imprisoned and 
kept to hard labour for one year. 
OBITUARY. 
At Bowenpilly Secunderabad, East Indies, on the 28th of October, of fever, 
John Field, Esq., Veterinary Surgeon to the 3d Light Cavalry, E. I. C. Ser¬ 
vice, in the 26th year of his age. 
On the 16th December last, in consequence of a fall from his phaeton, John 
Aldington Ainslie, Esq., of Nassau-street and of Shepherd’s Bush, in the 36th 
year of his age. 
